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New York City’s industries account for 15% of private-sector employment in the Big Apple. With median wages of $50,400 per year, these manufacturing jobs are what the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) calls “an important pathway to the middle class.” Now, NYCEDC will help manage a public-private fund that offers low-interest loans to industrial startups. Along with a multi-million dollar Advanced Manufacturing Center, it’s part of NYC’s multi-faceted Industrial Action Plan.

Two years ago, Etsy surprised some members of the Maker Movement when it stopped requiring its sellers to produce their own products. Now, Etsy will help Makers find outsourcing partners through a new service called Etsy Manufacturing.

Over the next decade, the Internet of Things (IoT) could make a $4 trillion difference to U.S. manufacturing. By helping manufacturers gain better intelligence about their business operations, IoT can increase revenue and reduce costs. Not all manufacturers are ready to collect and analyze Big Data, however.

Early adopters of new technologies are drivers of economic development. By using their knowledge to build technology-based businesses, these early adopters change their communities. During the Enlightenment, cities with more subscribers to Denis Diderot’s Encyclopedie grew more quickly, presumably because readers learned about what were then called the “mechanical arts”. Today, there’s a relationship between patent applications and household income – and the results’ aren’t promising for future growth.